Nuffnang

Amazing pictures using SMOKE

The amazing pictures were created by Rob Tarbell, who achieved the effect by burning everyday objects, such as photos and credit cards, and then capturing the smoke on paper attached to the ceiling.

When Rob decided to try to control smoke - an idea he first toyed with in 2007 - he realised he needed to channel it, while still letting it do what it did naturally.

To him, this sounded like animal training - and for that reason, he created images such as dancing horses and zebras. And in the series, called Smoke Rings, the performing animals - taken out of their natural habitat and trained to jump through hoops or balance on platforms - appear almost ghost-like, their wildness tamed

Given the dangers of creating his work, Rob wears fire-retardant clothing, with a carbon filter unit and fresh air system with full facial mask. He originally set up his studio in a metal garage. More recently, he had a special room built adjacent to his house to keep all his artistic endeavours isolated.